THE NOTRE DAME TO OPEN AGAIN SOON
Europe’s most famous cathedral is set to open its doors again. This comes after French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte toured the Notre Dame last week.
A devastating fire crippled the church in 2019 causing it to close completely for renovations. During the fire, the cathedral’s iconic spire collapsed.
Although the cathedral suffered immense damage, some of the relics, like a crown of thorns believed to be worn by Jesus Christ during his crucifixion, were saved by workers.
The Macrons admired the light stone ceilings which had been cleansed of soot and hundreds of years of grime.
More than 1,500 trees were used to build the cathedral’s roof. The area, known as “the forest” holds the entire cathedral’s new roof.
It took more than 1,200 artisans five years to restore the famous Parisian landmark. The Notre Dame is a World Heritage Site and usually attracted on average more than 13 million visitors a year.
The funds were donated by more than 340,000 donors who collectively contributed almost $1 billion towards the restoration.
During a speech after the couple completed the tour, Macron referred to the fire as a “national wound” and praised Notre Dame as the “soul of our country”.
Image credit: CNN